A New Life
by Kinetique
Summary: What if Harry had been a bit more cunning, and a bit more manipulative when he was younger? What if he escapes from private drive one day, to go to Hogwarts fully prepared? Read this to find out what could have happened.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Harry was hiding behind a brick wall, waiting for Dudley and his gang to get bored and do something else. His breath came in ragged gasps and he prayed that the gang didn't hear him – he was out of places to hide.

He heard some scuffling near him and quickly held his breath

"Oy Dudley! I think I hear something! Over here, quick!" It was Piers Polkiss, Dudley's best friend and the person who held the targets down whilst Dudley punched them.

He was in trouble now. Harry knew that the only option he had was to try and get into a fight with Piers before Dudley came. Even if he didn't win he'd get away a lot better than if Dudley got there first.

"Piers! You're a rat faced git who couldn't punch to save your life!" Harry yelled. "I bet you that I could beat you up if you didn't have your friends around to save you." That did the trick. Piers was looking murderous, and Harry knew that his goal was a success. Piers was the weakest and second stupidest person in the group.

The perfect person to pick a fight with.

The stupidest was Dudley, who Harry suspected had an I.Q of about 85. But that didn't stop Dudley from making rules about fights. One of those rules was a fight had to be one on one. Another was if one person went limp the fight was over.

It meant that Harry would go home able to breathe properly, which he was happy to do.

"Get over here guys! The freak's picked a fight with me. Told me that I couldn't punch to save my life!" Dudley's gang laughed and jeered at Harry. They had all seen Dudley beat him into the ground and they assumed that the same was going to happen again. "Were do you think I should show im' that he's wrong? I think I should break his nose, that aughta show him that I can punch." Piers had said all of this while cracking his knuckles, and Dudley and his gang loved it. They were about to get a fight after all.

Harry was confident that he could win. The punches that Piers had thrown at him before had all been weak and badly aimed. Harry was fast and had been in so many fights with Dudley to avoid beatings that he could both take and give a punch out; something he was sure Piers could not.

If anything Piers looked slightly nervous. _Excellent._ "You okay there Piers? You look slightly pale. I think you should see a doctor, maybe he can get your blood pumping before a fight. You could get one of those things they give to people with heart problems, you know a pace maker?" Piers mother had died recently from a heart attack, and Harry felt it was justice to rub it in. Dudley and his gang 'oohed' and told Piers to get him for it.

Piers decided to agree, and promptly charged at Harry, swinging wildly and missing most of his punches. The rest were blocked.

Harry got a punch in against Piers and then another one into his face, before he jumped on top and started punching as hard as he could.

Harry was suddenly lifted off of Piers and held in the air by what seemed to be nothing. A gruff voice spoke in his ear and growled "I think that's enough. Don't you boy?" Harry turned his face around and noticed a man whose face was covered in scars and had a body which looked like he had been born in a gym.

Harry nodded his agreement and turned to look at the girl next to the man. She had a pretty heart shaped face with straight black hair which ran a few inches past her shoulders. Her amused black eyes staring at him made Harry blush and wish he was on the ground again without the invisible restraints.

He suddenly was, and noticed the shocked look on the man's gruff, scarred face before commenting "cool scars," and walking towards Private Drive.

His experience with shocking people was that it was a good idea to pretend he intended it, and then to walk away.

It didn't keep them away like it usually did, and he started running when he saw the man and the girl catching up to him. The man stretched out his hand and muttered something too quiet for Harry to hear.

Again he was lifted into the air and restrained whilst the man and girl caught up to him. "We want to have a little chat with you Harry," it was the girl who spoke this time, and she spoke with the tone of voice which suggested she hadn't quite hit puberty. "Right now," Those words had a slightly sophisticated sound to it, and Harry realized that he was being entranced. _Not good._

Abruptly he felt slightly drained but saw only a girl and a man. He didn't see a beautiful girl and a terrifying man.

Dudley had waddled up to them by this time, and was interested in impressing the girl next to him. His father had told him many times that an important aspect of being a successful business man was having a beautiful wife. "Yeah Potter! We wanna have a little chat with you," Dudley said this whilst looking menacing and cracking his knuckles. It was obvious that Dudley was enraptured with the beautiful girl, and was pointedly looking away from the man.

The girl looked slightly annoyed and slid up to Dudley, before whispering to him "why don't you meet me in a few minutes? My father and I wish to have a private conversation with Harry." Dudley looked at her and walked away with an expression on his face that looked like he had done the greatest thing in the world.

Harry merely raised an amused eyebrow. He would be damned if he was going to start this conversation. If they wanted to talk then they could talk.

"So… what was it that caused that little altercation Harry?" It was the girl who spoke again. Harry got the impression that it was the girl who was in charge of the man. "I would be so grateful if you would deem us worthy to hear it. I'm sure it's an epic tale." At this Harry raised his other eyebrow. _She was talking at me as if I was in the Victorian era_.

Harry suddenly wanted to tell them and he knew that if he did he had already lost. Instead he asked "How old are you?" That question would be able to give Harry the answers that he needed. But he needed to look impressive enough to do so, and to do that Harry willed himself onto the ground and made a gesture at them. "And what on earth are you? I know that you're not human in the sense that me and those idiots over there know. So please _tell me_ I would be fascinated to know.

"I also know that there is such a thing as magic, which is exactly what leads me to the conclusion that you aren't human," Harry felt that it was only fair that if he was getting answers they should get some as well. "At least, not fully human…" The last few words were muttered.

The girl laughed, and Harry once again fought the enrapture that he knew would be coming. "Harry," she purred "I am only eleven years old… did you wish I was older?"

That had certainly caught him off guard. Eleven year old girls did not purr. The older ones that he met at the park did, but they were always clinging onto some boy with almost no clothes on.

But why did she seem older then eleven. He knew she was. That statement of her age was true. He had always known when someone was lying to him. Looking deep into someone's eyes gave him a sense of what they were thinking, or, depending on how intelligent they were, whether they were telling the truth.

"Not particularly. Dudley does though." It was true. At that moment Dudley was staring at her chest in disappointment. Beautiful wives had big breasts as Dudley's father had told him. So did Dudley. Unfortunately for Dudley he didn't understand what puberty did. "You're not human though are you?"

"No. No I'm not. I'm half Veela." The last was said so haughtily that Harry wondered if she was some kind of aristocrat. "And I" she said handing him a piece of official looking paper, "am your future wife." She looked at his confused face and said "maybe we should get better acquainted." She grabbed his arm before saying "Dom, meet us at our house. Activate."

A strange feeling of being hooked forward, slammed into the girl and then suddenly standing in a vineyard had left him very disorientated, and the feeling of adrenaline still pumping from his fight with Piers suddenly vanished, leaving him dizzy. _Shit._ His vision had started to turn white, and then he fell forward onto the ground.


	2. Success

Chapter 1

Harry groaned and looked around to see where he was. He hadn't quite fainted, but he wasn't far from it. For some reason the whiteness had temporarily receded and before he did faint he wanted to get a look around him to see where he was. He felt it would be quite necessary.

At least the area he was memorizing was easy on the eyes.

The Vineyard that the pair had just arrived in was a warm, sunny andgreen area, which was commonly associated with the Mediterranean. To the left of them were rows of grape vines, with finely trimmed grass between the rows. To the right there was an expanse of completely flat lawn, on which several hoops were arranged.

The butler that had accompanied the girl was sitting at a table behind them, sipping a glass of ice filled lemon squash. The butler looked sadly over at the boy and then at the girl. He hoped the girl was right.

The girl bent down until she was next to Harry and looked sadly at his exhausted face. She shook her head slightly and smiled at him. It was extremely important that she looked as angelic as possible for this next part.

"Harry," she whispered into his ear. "You have to go. Your mind cannot take the strain of holding us three. Remember this area Harry. You must come back here. You must come back here as soon as you can. Will yourself there Harry. It will become clear then." She took one last pitying look at him. "You have to go Harry… Good bye."

The whiteness covered his vision once more and he noticed the vineyard and the other two fading away. Fading away… and it was completely white.

* * *

The whiteness was steadily replaced by colour, objects, and Piers. He was on top of Piers again. That meant none of it had happened, but he knew it had. The official piece of paper he could feel in his pocket, and the image of the vineyard was clearly etched in his head. _What on earth just happened? _The girl had known about magic, in fact she had confirmed his suspicions about it. At least in his mind it had.

There was only one way to find out if it really did exist. All it took was some will. Harry had a lot of that, it was hard not to when you were the hated nephew of the Dursley's. _Time to see I guess._

Harry punched Piers once more, and willed the rest of Dudley's gang back. Nothing happened. He stood up and willed them back again. Nothing happened, but he remembered that the other times he had used it required a will of something to happen. He had wished that he was on the roof away from the gang, and he had appeared on the roof away from the gang. He had to give it a direction, preferably something that would scare them all.

This time Harry willed Dudley's gang to fall over backwards, and on top of each other. They did. _Yes!_ He stood up on shaky legs, and glared at the members of the gang, before turning and running down the tarmac, back to the Dursley's house. He had some things to do before he left them for good.

* * *

As it had happened Harry didn't attempt to leave that day. Instead he decided to leave the week after he got back. He had reasoned that it would be a bad choice to leave so soon after he had gotten back, as he was quite tired and sore for the next few days.

Today, he decided that he would be leaving. It had been a week and two days since he had realized magic, and it had been a week and two days since he had received the official paper.

He still hadn't read it. It was still sitting in his back pocket, acting as a reassurance that there really was magic. He didn't want to lose the one thing that he had an advantage over the Dursley's with, and for some reason whenever he wanted to read the parchment it would make him doubt the existence of magic. He would have to read it today, lest he continue to procrastinate and never find the vineyard again.

He wanted to find that vineyard, and he really wanted to get some answers. He knew that the girl hadn't been telling him the truth about both her age and her status as his future wife. At least not the full truth. He suspected that she was telling him the partial truth.

He wanted the full truth, and he was going to get what he wanted for once. His loving relatives be damned.

They were the reason that made Harry want to leave the most. There was no loving relation between the two of them, instead it dialogue of orders seemingly aimed at demoralizing Harry, and a generally meek reply of compliance. Not the environment that Harry wanted to participate in at all.

So he had to find the vineyard. Once the vineyard was found he would be fine. He knew that. The vineyard had answers, and the vineyard also had safety. Even if he did have to see the unnaturally pretty girl, and unnaturally intimidating man.

He knew that there appearance had been affected by magic, and he knew that the girl had made herself look both as beautiful as possible, and as caring as possible to drag him back to the vineyard. But he liked it, and he suspected that it would help both him and the girl in the future.

Which meant that he was going to have to read the paper, even if it had nothing on it. It was foolish to not read something given to you, even more foolish to not read it if you were about to attempt to travel half way across the world and find them.

So he read it.

_An invitation for one_

_The Potters cordially invite you for the baby shower of Harry James Potter._

_P.S Please bring some gifts for Harry's future.  
P.P.S If you have never Apparated to our house, then magical instructions will be imprinted on your mind._

_Looking forward to your company,_

_James, Lily and Harry Potter_

There was a signature from his Mother and Father, and some dribble from Harry.

He paused and thought in the darkness of the cupboard over what he had just learned. It was always good practice to be informed of what was currently happening, to stop himself blundering about like a fool. Besides, he would be able to look cooler if he could enter the vineyard not looking surprised over what had happened. If he could enter looking well informed, and perhaps even worldly then even better. Appearances did matter after all.

In any event he realized that the way to the vineyard was apparently at that house, the house which had had his baby shower, and the house that his parents had lived in. The house he had lived in before the car crash. The car crash which he doubted even happened.

He re-read the letter a few times, before realizing that there would be no going back after this. He would forever be a part of the wizarding world. He knew that there was one; otherwise 'magical instructions' wouldn't be given.

"Good bye house," muttered Harry. "It isn't a shame I won't be coming back. See you Dinky Duddydums, goodbye Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon. I'm afraid I have to go now."

With that he tried to focus on following the path given to him through the instructions in the letter, and not the feeling of leaving the cupboard forever, or the elation of not having to run away from Dudley and his gang.

It wasn't easy. It felt at one stage like there was a huge pressure on him, half image of the cupboard and a kitchen before the pressure would disappear and he'd be stuck back in the cupboard. He realized that it was the pressure. It was the pressure that was both moving him and stopping him from being able to move. The further he travelled, the more the pressure was there, the more pressure, the more difficulty, the more difficulty the harder it was to keep going, and once he stopped he couldn't pick it up again – he had to wait for a few minutes for the pressure to dissipate.

So he would have to move himself without stopping, he would have to try and move through the pressure, not make the pressure move him through the world. That would probably also not be easy.

But he had to try, otherwise he would be stuck in this hell hole forever. Not a good prospect at all. He was going to escape.

So he tried again, and this time when the pressure came, he embraced it. And he felt the pressure recede. And he felt himself travelling. And he felt himself contained in a bubble. And he had arrived. And there, in front of him, was a house that had collapsed in various areas, whilst nonexistent in others.

There was a small pop, and he felt himself unravel from the bubble and solidify. He had made it.

The exhaustion caught up to him, and he lay on the floor, asleep within seconds.

* * *

Harry woke with a start, and looked around the dilapidated house. 'A renovators dream!' came unbidden to his mind.

There were burn marks over the walls, on the stair case which lead up stairs, on the floor next to him and on the roof above him. On the lesser burnt areas of the walls, the paint and plaster were falling off of it and in some areas there wasn't even a wall left – just a hole to the outside. The floor below him was holey and looked extremely unstable and the roof looked ready to collapse. The glass from the window frames didn't currently look like it existed.

What a legacy.

But what the house itself didn't have it made up for in items. There was a set of utensils in what Harry presumed was the kitchen. There was a chess set. There was a book shelf with books in it. They were somehow all fine. And there was a cloak of incredible quality that seemed to shimmer in the pale light.

But by far the most impressive item was a mirror. A mirror with a gold frame, and a scratch less surface. A mirror with incredibly detailed carvings of dragons and snakes all over the frame. A mirror with the words: _ epa csdnal sdnim ru oyt ub ecaf ruoy to nwo hsi_

A mirror with a familiar image.

It was a vineyard, and it had neatly trimmed lawns, and a table.

"Your mind cannot take the strain of holding us three in the void." What had she meant? It made no sense at all.

His eyes flicked back to the mirrors title, and the answer appeared. 'I show not your face but your minds landscape'. Minds landscape. The mind was where he was meant to go. But how did one access one's own mind without going insane?

"Will yourself there Harry," was what the girl had said before he reappeared in Little Whinging. Was it that simple? Could it be that simple? It was worth a try he decided.

So he sat down and willed himself back into the vineyard. He could feel it working. Little by little the vineyard appeared in front of him, a branch at a time, a blade of grass at a time, until he was again back inside the warm, Mediterranean Vineyard. Complete with a pretty, eleven year old girl, and an intimidating man by the name of Dom. He was back and this time there was no pressure, there was no whiteness and there was no dizziness. He had discovered his minds landscape, he had escaped, and he sure as hell planned to stay both escaped and here for a while. And get answers.

* * *

AN: There's Chapter one. I'll aim to get two chapters a week out, probably at 2-3k a piece. If you feel like dropping some praise or criticism on my story please do. It'll end up improving both me, and any future works I do.


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